Developing a Template - Questions on Instructions to the User

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Guest

We are creating/updating a template for a business request plan.

1) We are looking for a way to include instructions/suggestions to the
writer about what information should be included at specific points and
suggesting additional types of information for including.

2) We want to have this visable to the writer while they are composing it,
but should not be included in the printing of the "final" document.
- Current version has text boxes with instructions to writer to
delete prior
to going final, but it IS NOT WORKING and have gotten many comments
about having to delete "all" these instruction.
- There are some concerns that if the user has the option to "turn it
off"
(to make it not visable), that they will readily ignore it/forget
that it is
there to aid them with the document.
- Desire to have the solution keep it simple, so the Word uninformed
do not feel lost/confused.

Is hidden text the best solution, or are there better solutions with Word to
fix this?

Thank you in advance for your assistance,
Mike
 
Hi Mike,

There are probably many ways to go about this, but I'll suggest one that's
particularly easy for the "Word uninformed":

In the template, create a style specifically for the instructions, and apply
it to all the instructions (and only the instructions). If the style
includes a frame, you can position the instructions in the margins;
otherwise, the collapse of the hidden text will change the page layout. The
choice of font characteristics is up to you.

Write two macros in the template, named FilePrint and FilePrintDefault --
these names causse the macros to intercept the File > Print menu item and
the toolbar Print button, respectively. Assuming the style is named
"Instructions", these macros will force the document to print without
anything formatted in that style:

Public Sub FilePrint()
On Error Resume Next
ActiveDocument.Styles("Instructions").Font.Hidden = True
Options.PrintHiddenText = False
Dialogs(wdDialogFilePrint).Show
ActiveDocument.Styles("Instructions").Font.Hidden = False
End Sub

Public Sub FilePrintDefault()
On Error Resume Next
ActiveDocument.Styles("Instructions").Font.Hidden = True
Options.PrintHiddenText = False
ActiveDocument.PrintOut Background:=False
ActiveDocument.Styles("Instructions").Font.Hidden = False
End Sub

The only requirements this places on the users are (1) always use the proper
template to create the documents, and (2) don't format anything in the
Instructions style unless they want it not to print. And make sure they know
that the Print Preview will display the instructions, so it can't be trusted
to show the document as it will print.
 
If there is sufficient room in your margins, you can put the instructions in
borderless text boxes in the margins. Format the text in the textboxes as
hidden text and turn on display of hidden text. I put all sorts of
instructions/notes in my templates this way. (I also format the text to be a
bright color like red or blue.)
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.
 
Also, float the text boxes in front of text so that they don't accidentally
mess up your formatting.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.
 
Jay,

Thanks for your macro suggestion, it may have possibilities.

1) Please help me understand how these macros are different from the
default printing (assuming that the user has NOT turned on HIDDEN TEXT
for printing)?

2) My understanding is that it is NOT possible to "hard wire" the "show/hide"
formatting marks to ON when a template is opened, correct? If not, how
can
this be done?

a) One of my leaders would prefer to have the HIDDEN TEXT visable
WITHOUT the rest of the formatting marks turned on. It can be done
in the window by Tools > Options > View > Formatting Marks >
Hidden Text.
Along the lines of your macros, is it possible to write a macro
that on
opening the template, it sets HIDDEN TEXT to visable in that
instance?

Thank you in advance for your input and assistance.
Mike
 
Charles,

Do you have an example document that you would care to share? If so, would
it be possible for you to post it to a URL where I could view it?

Thanks,
Mike
 
http://addbalance.com/defense/download/SubpoenaForm.zip

See page 2 of the form which has a floating text box with instructions.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide

See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome!
--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.
 
Hi Mike,

1) The point of the macros is that they change the Hidden setting of the
Instructions style to true before printing, and change it to false again
after printing. That ensures that the instructions are visible on screen
regardless of the Hidden setting in Tools > Options > View, except during
printing. The setting of Options.PrintHiddenText = False is there just in
case the user has changed that option (notice that this affects the option
in Tools > Options > Print, which is independent of the one on the View
tab).

2) As I said before, you don't have to do anything about the *viewing* of
hidden text because the macros make the instructions hidden only during
*printing*. If you do want to force Word to show hidden text, though, you
need this line

ActiveWindow.View.ShowHiddenText = True

in macros named AutoOpen (which executes when the user clicks File > Open)
and AutoNew (which executes when the user clicks File > New). Just to
clarify, this is not for "opening the template", it's for opening or
creating a document based on the template.
 
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